MBP buying advice (also buying 30" ACD - or 30" Dell monitor)

[cmm]

1) 200gb at 4200prm, too slow vis-a-vis 160 at 5400.

2) what speed increase will come from a 160 at 720rpm?

3) will the default 128mb card diplay a 30" ACD fine?

4) what will the increase to 4gb of ram do for me from 2gb? I will be running maple, mathematica, and that's about it, really, that's intensive. oh and some C++ coding. (will do little 'documentary' type stuff for youtube, as well)

5) difference between glossy/matte?

6) any reason to get the 17" since I will be using a 30" monitor 70% of the time?

7) can any video card on the mbp allow for two 30" monitors?

And if you want:

6) would you go with an ACD or the Dell 30" monitor?

Thanks.

 

[Grimace]

4200rpm is a joke, don't even bother. 7200 rpm is the same speed as most desktop hard drives, but it does eat into your battery life a little more (some say less because you access the files more quickly.)

Default 128MB card will run an ACD 30"

Stick with 2GB

One is glossy, one is matte.

Get the 15" - far more portable.

You won't get two 30" on a portable without a whole heck of a lot of external hardware. It takes a beast of a card to run two of those on a desktop.

I go with the ACD. Dell may be cheaper, but I have had bad experiences with their customer service and product reliability.

 

[cmm]

Alright, so I'll get a 5400rpm drive.

What external HDDs do you recommend? I bought a 160GB off a guy a few years ago that he 'built' from an external enclosure that runs well, but would prefer something with a warranty. I need two, basically to use as a pseudo-raid backup system and to store large files on. 1tb or so each. Either that, or *maybe* build a *nix server. Then on the plus side, my house would probably be fully heated.

Why do you say not upgrade to 4gb of ram? I wouldn't buy from apple of course so that would save quite a bit of money.

What are the cons to a glossy screen? Is a PB a matte screen?

I don't even think dell is that much cheaper considering student and/or refurbed discounts. I just know dell has A LOT more options.

Good to be a 'student.' ; -)

Any ideas for a good speaker system? I watch some movies - but nothing major - and always watch Boston Legal on my 12" PB. I am guessing it is going to look HORRIBLE on a 30" ACD considering the HD feed is compressed to 350mb... But I am not spending 100+ a month on TV when that is the only TV show I watch.

I listen to opera, classical, and classic rock. Would a 2.1 system be enough or do I need more? I always knew Klipsch and Dennon to be the best.

4200rpm is a joke, don't even bother. 7200 rpm is the same speed as most desktop hard drives, but it does eat into your battery life a little more (some say less because you access the files more quickly.)

Default 128MB card will run an ACD 30"

Stick with 2GB

One is glossy, one is matte.

Get the 15" - far more portable.

You won't get two 30" on a portable without a whole heck of a lot of external hardware. It takes a beast of a card to run two of those on a desktop.

I go with the ACD. Dell may be cheaper, but I have had bad experiences with their customer service and product reliability.

 

[CalBoy]

I'll answer which ones I think I can answer best

1) 200gb at 4200prm, too slow vis-a-vis 160 at 5400.

I'd go with the 160@5400. The speed you sacrifice for only (actually less after formating) 40GB isn't worth it.

2) what speed increase will come from a 160 at 720rpm?

I assume you meant 7200, but I honestly don't know just how fast it will be over the 5400. If you travel frequently and need as much battery life as possible, I'd go with the 5400.

3) will the default 128mb card diplay a 30" ACD fine?

Yes.

4) what will the increase to 4gb of ram do for me from 2gb? I will be running maple, mathematica, and that's about it, really, that's intensive. oh and some C++ coding. (will do little 'documentary' type stuff for youtube, as well)

I don't know the exact performance increase you would notice, but I suggest trying them out on 2GB first, and then buying more RAM afterwards, as Apple charges too much for RAM anyways. Plus you might get a better deal by waiting, as RAM prices are always on the fall.

5) difference between glossy/matte?

Glossy is to mirror as matte is to functionality. Get the matte if you're spending the money for a mbp (I have the matte and have used glossy screens; I can't stand the glossy).

6) any reason to get the 17" since I will be using a 30" monitor 70% of the time?

I wouldn't. When you want to travel, the 17" can be a pain. Also, the 15" has an LED backlit screen, which saves on power.

7) can any video card on the mbp allow for two 30" monitors?

I honestly don't know. Sorry.

And if you want:
6) would you go with an ACD or the Dell 30" monitor?

If money matters? Dell. If not, ACD. The ACD is a bit more stylish and cleaner looking, but the Dell offers the best value.

 

[cmm]

Okay, I'll stick with a 5400rpm drive, and 2gb ram.

I still have two questions: is an ACD screen 'matte?' I am only picky about the screen because I once had a 20" iMac G5 and the screen was *beautiful* and I now have a 12" PB and the screen is bleak.

And why does everyone recommend the ACD over Dell's monitor? Dell's monitors have much more hookups...

 

[taeclee99]

Okay, I'll stick with a 5400rpm drive, and 2gb ram.

I still have two questions: is an ACD screen 'matte?' I am only picky about the screen because I once had a 20" iMac G5 and the screen was *beautiful* and I now have a 12" PB and the screen is bleak.

And why does everyone recommend the ACD over Dell's monitor? Dell's monitors have much more hookups...

Yes, the ACD screen is matte. THE 30 in ACD and Dell 30 ACD are pretty similar in specs. I would go with the dell because it can be had for a couple hundred bucks less than the ACD. In regards to the inputs, the dell and ACD both use dual link dvi. Only the dell lcd's 27 in and lower have inputs for component and s-video.

 

[cmm]

I thought dells had a lot more options/ports on them?

I'll have to look up the models - there's so many of them.

If the ACD is matte, then I'll go with a matte MBP.

 

[sportsnut]

Okay, I'll stick with a 5400rpm drive, and 2gb ram.

I still have two questions: is an ACD screen 'matte?' I am only picky about the screen because I once had a 20" iMac G5 and the screen was *beautiful* and I now have a 12" PB and the screen is bleak.

And why does everyone recommend the ACD over Dell's monitor? Dell's monitors have much more hookups...

Everyone does not recommend the ADC over the Dell. It depends on what you are going to be using it for and how much $ YOU want to spend

 

[Glenn Wolsey]

I thought dells had a lot more options/ports on them?

I'll have to look up the models - there's so many of them.

If the ACD is matte, then I'll go with a matte MBP.

Dell has more ports/plugs. They also have a much longer (and cheaper) warranty option. Both 30's from Apple and Dell are Matte.

The MacBook Pro can power ONE external display up to the resolution of 2560 x 1600. Two displays externally is a no go.

My advice. MacBook Pro. 160GB 5400RPM. 15". 30" Dell.

 

[mavherzog]

My advice. MacBook Pro. 160GB 5400RPM. 15". 30" Dell.

I am personally buying the 15" MBP w/ 2.4Ghz CPU (and 256MB vram). I am also going with the Dell 30" display due to the price break over the ACD as well as the height adjustment (which the ACD lacks).

I will purchase no upgrades from Apple. I have purchased the following upgrade items and accessories:

- ZeroShock III - 15" Widescreen Notebook Sleeve
- ShaggyMac Laptop Screen Protector
- Griffin Elevator Laptop Stand
- 2 x Transcend 2GB PC2 5300 SoDIMMs (4GB total)
- Western Digital Scorpio 250GB 5400rpm hdd

 

[dante@sisna.com]

And why does everyone recommend the ACD over Dell's monitor? Dell's monitors have much more hookups...

Okay, yet again, here is the bottom line on the ACD versus the Dell. The ACD is a superior monitor in terms of the display panel -- the ACD uses an S-IPS panel which is superior for color rendering and consistency at all angles off of 90 (straight on) degrees. The S-IPS is preferred by graphics pros.

The original Dell 30 inch monitors from a couple years back used the S-IPS, however, newer ones use the PVA or MVA panels. These panels do not have the color consistency of S-IPS for graphic arts performance.

If you do a Google Search on Dell Panel Lottery you will find the facts on this.

The Dell is superior in terms of features such as hookups, adjustments, price, etc.

ACD is a superior panel.

This is a fact.